Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Arden Williams, the attorney representing former Strategic Services Agency (SSA) director Major Roger Best, says neither he nor his client have received any correspondence on the investigation since his arrest earlier this year.
Best was one of several SSA employees fired last year as the authorities probed allegations of misconduct and criminal activities within the intelligence-gathering agency.
Best was arrested in May 2024 as part of the investigation into alleged unsanctioned operations of the SSA and again in January this year but was released on both occasions with no charges being laid.
When contacted for an update on the status of his client yesterday, Williams said he has received no further updates on the investigation. He added that since Best’s first arrest last year, several items were confiscated by investigators and had not been returned to date.
“There’s nothing in terms of the police side in terms of investigation. Nothing on the criminal matter.
“He has been arrested and then released, then re-arrested again released, there has been nothing to suggest where these proceedings are going, so he’s just really in a state of abeyance,” Williams said.
“He knows his career has been put to an end in terms of the SSA, but as far as any plausible reasons for doing so, there is nothing by way of disclosure by the police or anything to suggest that they were solid in their actions.”
During a sitting of the Lower House on June 3, 2024, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed the details which prompted the authorities to remove Best and others from their roles in the SSA. He told the House that the agency was compromised, having been infiltrated by a “religious cult” which wanted to replace the country’s leadership.
Best has since denied the accusations, maintaining that he has acted appropriately.
